Editorial cartoons for July 13, 2025: Texas flood aftermath, Epstein files, ICE tactics

As the death toll climbed above 121, the search continued for more than 170 missing victims of flash flooding in central Texas. Questions are being raised about the timing of alerts provided to the public by authorities, and about staffing cuts to federal weather agencies that provide such alerts.

Nick Anderson leads this week’s editorial cartoon gallery with the broken heart of Texas. Anderson, Mike Luckovich, Drew Sheneman and Jack Ohman highlight the Trump administration’s cuts to forecasting. Walt Handelsman rues the things we failed to learn about disaster preparedness from Hurricane Katrina. Michael Ramirez and Dana Summers convey the grief of losing so many people, including children, to the floods.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department issued a report on the death in jail of sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein, confirming it was a suicide. A rumored list of well-connected Epstein clients was not produced, refuting years of conspiracy theories that the government was hiding it. Summers sees FBI Director Kash Patel, who pushed such theories, and Attorney General Pam Bondi as magicians making the Epstein files disappear. Anderson draws Trump being burned by the conspiracy theory he fanned. Luckovich draws boxes of files stacked in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago bathroom.

Other topics in this week’s gallery include criticism of masked agents and rough tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Trump’s about-face on providing more arms to Ukraine; CBS’s settlement with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview; and the Fourth of July.

Cartoons were drawn by Jack Ohman, Nick Anderson, Bill Bramhall, Dana Summers, Drew Sheneman, Walt Handelsman, David Horsey, Phil Hands, Joel Pett and Joey Weatherford of Tribune Content Agency; and Mike Luckovich, Steve Breen and Michael Ramirez of Creators Syndicate.

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